How would you identify a limiting reagent in a chemical reaction?

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How would you identify a limiting reagent in a chemical reaction?

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Answer 1 · 2015-11-08T18:53:13

Go through the mole!

Explanation:

When you are given the masses of the reactants, you need to convert them into moles.

For example:
$H C l + N a O H \to H 2 O + N a C l$ $HCl + NaOH -> H2O + NaCl$

we have 2.3 grams of $H C l$ $HCl$ and 3.5 grams of $N a O H$ $NaOH$ .
First we must go through the mole

2.3 $g$ $g$ $H C l$ $HCl$ x 1 mole $H C l$ $HCl$ = 0.0630 mol $H C l$ $HCl$
36.46 $g$ $g$ $H C l$ $HCl$

3.5 $g$ $g$ $N a O H$ $NaOH$ x 1 mole $N a O H$ $NaOH$ = 0.0875 mol $N a O H$ $NaOH$
40 $g$ $g$ $N a O H$ $NaOH$

As you can see, there is less moles of $H C l$ $HCl$ than $N a O H$ $NaOH$ , therefore the $H C l$ $HCl$ will run out first, making it the limiting reagent.

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How would you identify a limiting reagent in a chemical reaction?

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